well, serena williams caused a major stir for her angry rant at the u.s. open. tomorrow, she's going to be joining us live. she apologized for it and said, you know, she's passionate and she's sincere and she's sincerely sorry. >> she's got a new book coming out called "on the line" and we'll be talking with her about that and all kinds of things tomorrow. continue our conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at cnn.com/am fictifix. now the news continues with "cnn newsroom" and heidi collins. >> closing in on a health care compromise. the senate's gang of six works towards a final plan, now expected tomorrow. federal agents raid new york

city buildings. you'll hear what residents are saying about the terror investigation. plus, a chunk of concrete smashes into a car and a driver lives to tell the story. good morning, everybody, i'm heidi collins. it is tuesday, september 15th, and you are in the "cnn newsroom." a lot to get to this morning. we want to walk you through a little bit. on capitol hill this morning, a major development regarding the health care debate. there's actually a bipartisan group now of senators that says a compromise bill may actually be unveiled pretty soon. so we're going to talk about that. also, brianna keilar following another measure, now taking shape on capitol hill. it involves the republican congressman who heckled the president. we'll get to her as well. later, democrats might actually get the final word. and suzanne malveaux looks at the war in afghanistan this morning. the deepening divisions over what the president should do next. an unaannounced arrival in iraq. vice president joe biden touched

down in baghdad a short time ago. this is actually biden's second trip to baghdad now since president obama made him the administration's point person on iraq back in june. cnn's cal perry is joining us now on the telephone with more on the vice president's agenda. cal, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, heidi. we expect that he'll be meeting with both the president of iraq and the prime minister and the head of the kurdish regional council. this is something that joe biden has taken on big time as a portfolio to try to smooth over the relationship between the arabs and the kurds up in the north. he touched down about 45 minutes ago. there was a brief stopover in england, where they refueled. he met with some airmen there. there's an attachment of air force airmen. one of the interesting things about this visit is whether or not joe biden will actually see his son. his son, bo biden, is a captain in the reserves out of delaware. and when he was here last july, bo biden actually came over to camp victory and had a reunion

with his father. it will be interesting to see if the father and the son will be able to do that again on this trip, heidi. >> very good. cal perry covering the visit of joe biden there. appreciate it, cal. thanks. the battle over health care reforms. could a compromise be brewing? a bipartisanship group of senators, the so-called gang of six, is expected to unveil a negotiated measure tomorrow. democrat max baucus, chairman of the finance committee, says there will be, quote, significant bipartisan support. negotiators have shaved down the cost of the bill to $880 billion over ten years. baucus says the full finance committee is set to begin debate on the proposal next week. the finance committee is, of course, a critical hurdle. if the bill is approved there, it can then be taken up by the full house and senate. the issue of health care reform has stirred a lot of passion and fueled quite a few tea party protests. >> we're on our way to

washington -- >> but has a small minority of these protesters turned to race baiting? we'll take a closer look and you can judge for yourself. the health care debate also has stirred up deep passion on capitol hill, as you would imagine. and as we saw last week, the president addressed a joint session of congress. >> the reforms -- the reforms i'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie! >> not true. >> today, that congressman, republican joe wilson of south carolina could face a formal scolding and cnn's congressional correspondent brianna keilar is joining us now with more to explain. so what could happen here to representative wilson? >> reporter: well, we are expecting there to be this vote on a resolution of disapproval, heidi. house democratic leaders, they met last night. they scheduled this to happen today. we're not expecting it to happen until this afternoon. you'll recall that house speaker nancy pelosi, the day after congressman wilson heckled

president obama, she said that he'd apologized, basically, it's time to move on and talk about health care. but a number of democrats felt very strongly that some sort of message needed to be sent, including jim clyburn, also of south carolina, as is congressman wilson, he's the number three democrat in the house. and wilson, for his part, has said that he apologized. he did last week. he, in a written statement, also in a call to the white house. but what these democrats really whatnot and what they've said they wanted is an apology on the house floor. they have not gotten that. listen, yesterday, to what congressman wilson said when he did take to the house floor? >> during my 25 years of serving the public in the state senate and congress, i have not seen such passionate events full of patriots. 95% of whom support health insurance reform, but not a government takeover. >> reporter: so instead of democrats wanting -- hearing an apology, which is what they want, they heard congressman wilson talking about, really, the success of the town hall meeting. and he called the people who came to his town hall meeting

patriots. that was certainly not what they wanted to hear. he has been adamant that he's done saying sorry, he's not going to do so again. and republicans say democrats are trying to score political points by having this vote on a resolution of disapproval. for their part, democrats saying that this is not an issue of scoring political points. a spokeswoman for congressman clyburn saying, this is about not -- if you don't address the issue, it sets a precedent for bad behavior, heidi. >> but what does it all really mean? he did address it shall. we all know he did apologize to the president, and i wonder -- it seems like it's still out because, i don't know, politics are involved. yes or no? >> reporter: that's not really my place to say -- >> well, i mean, as far as what you're hearing on capitol hill. >> reporter: that's what republicans are saying. democrats say that's not the case. what they'll tell you, if during the course of being on the house floor, not when the president is speaking, but anytime you're on

the house floor and it's in session, if somewhere to have an outburst, if they were to get personal and call somebody a name, which happens from time to time, heidi, the democrats or whoever is in charge really would move to strike that from the congressional record. and they're saying that, normally, the member who had the outburst would apologize. there hasn't been an apology on the house floor. so this is, essentially, heidi, though, a slap on the wrist. this is not -- there are many different degrees of what they could do or attempt to do here and this is really the least severe of their options. >> all right. very good. we'll stay on top of it, obviously. brianna keilar, thanks so much from capitol hill this morning. scary. to know something like terrorist is so close to you. it is a shock. big shock. very scary. >> very scary. very surprising. luckily, it stopped. got raided, that's good. we're safer now. >> neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief after federal agents with the terror task

force raided several buildings no new york. they were carrying out search warrants in queens as part of an ongoing investigation. it is unknown how many people were taken into custody. new york senator charles schumer talked about the severity of the threat. >> there were some rumors that the terrorist act was imminent. that is not true. second, there was some speculation that the raids were related to president obama's visit to new york, because they occurred at the same time. that is not true. >> two other sources tell cnn, now, the timing of the president's trip was taken into consideration. hollywood loses a star, a wife loses her husband of 34 years. we are remembering patrick swayze this morning. i'm rob marciano in the cnn severe weather center. excuse me. we have flooding rains across texas that are slowly moving to the east. where is that going next? and is fred totally dead yet? weather's coming up in a few minutes. "cnn newsroom" is coming right back.

as an actor, he would not be

typecast. in death, he's being remembered beyond his movies for his love of family and fight against cancer. patrick swayze died yesterday at the age of 57. >> nobody puts baby in a corner. come on. >> he played the romantic leading man in movies like "dirty dancing"ing and "ghost." but he also played a drag queen. and "road house" with swayze as a bar manager became a late night cable cult classic. swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in march of 2008, but was still acting earlier this year in a tv series "the beast." in a january interview with abc's barbara walters, swayze lashed out at the tabloids for reporting he was near death. >> i have the meanness and the passion to say, to hell with you, watch me. you watch what i pull off.

all these years, i've never reacted to them, i've never had issues with them, but when they start -- when they start screwing with people i love and they start screwing with my family, you know, hope is a very, very fragile thing in anyone's life and people i love do not need to be having that hope robbed from them, when it's unjustified and it's untrue. >> there have been reports in the tabloids, recently, that, quote, you're on your last legs, you're saying good-bye to your tearful family. >> am i dying? am i giving up? am i on my death bed? am i saying good-bye to people? no way. >> swayze is survived by his wife of 34 years, lisa niemi, and his mother, patsy. here's some information now about pancreatic cancer from the national cancer institute. it's sometimes called the silent disease because early pancreatic cancer often does not come with signs. but as the cancer develops,

symptoms can include pain in the upper abdomen or upper back, yellow skin and eyes, and lack of appetite. this year, an estimated 42,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the united states with more than 35,000 people dying from it. to find out more about the disease, this couincluding treao to www.cancer.gov. police say the killing of yale university student annie le was no random act and the medical examiner expects to have more information later today. our mary snow tells us, students on campus are still trying to make sense of what's happened. >> she was always kind, generous, honest -- oh, caring and the list just keeps going. >> reporter: natalie powers speaking out for the first time about her roommate, annie le. yale students held a vigil just hours after authorities confirmed their worst fears. the body found sunday lodged inside a basement wall at a yale research facility was le, a

24-year-old phd student that stood at 4'11" and weighed 90 pounds. >> she was tougher than you'd think by just looking at her. that this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensible, but that it happened to her, i think, is infinitely more so. >> reporter: as one professor put it, there's the sense there's a murderer among us and yale's president tried to assure students. >> we're doing all we can to ensure your security across the campus. >> reporter: the president of yale said there were a limited number of people in the basement that day and they were known to authorities. to get inside the building, students tell us i.d.s like these need to be swiped. >> obviously, this person probably had access to the building. so it makes you very wary of people that you're around and work with. >> reporter: but annie le herself wrote an article for a university magazine in february on how not to become a crime statistic in new haven. adding to the anxiety on campus, yale officials say the building

where le's body was found is a newer one and had top-notch security. more than 70 cameras were trained on the building and its surroundings. officials also say they have images of her as she walked several blocks from another building to the lab where she was killed. but a yale official says there were no cameras in the area where her body was found and that has shaken some fellow graduate students. >> i think most of us work very hard here. we work during the night and also the weekends, also. so there are not too many people around. >> and mary snow is joining us now. mary, good morning to you. how much progress are police actually making on an arrest in this case? >> reporter: well, heidi, good morning. all indications are that authorities are

. if the insurance companies win, you lose. tell congress to rewrite the story. we want good health care we can afford with the choice of a public health insurance option.

time for a quick check of our top stories now. the iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at then-president bush walked out of prison earlier this morning. he offered no apologies after his release. instead, saying he saw his chance and didn't miss it. he's within in prison for nine months. president obama on the road

this morning, and apparently in full campaign mode. he'll focus on two of his top priorities, health care reform and the economy. he'll tour a general motors plant in warren, ohio. he says it is rehiring workers, thanks in part to his cash for clunkers program. then he'll speak to union workers at the afl-cio convention in pittsburgh. then he'll travel to philadelphia to talk with arlen specter. support is at an all-time low for the war in afghanistan. a new cnn opinion research corporation poll released this morning says 39% of americans approve of the war. it's a big drop for the 53% who supported it in april. 58% now oppose the u.s. action in afghanistan. of course, we always like to poll the heidi show viewers directly. we love to hear from you guys. want to know this morning. do you support the war in afghanistan? and we'll be giving some of

those responses to you a little bit later on. tell us why or why not as well, if you would. just go to cnn.com/heidi, right over here, and you'll see my picture there. also, a bit of a synopsis of that poll we were just telling you about for support from americans in the afghanistan war. once again, cnn.com/heidi and put your thoughts there. the health care debate has stirred a lot of public anger and protest, sas you know. now a disturbing question hangs over the tea party rallies for some people. has a small minority of those protesters turned to race baiting? cnn's elaine quijano takes a closer look. >> reporter: within the larger tea party movement that's gained steam across the country, a small but passionate minority is also voicing what some see as racist rhetoric, including this doctored image circulating on the internet and even some protesters' signs, like this one in brighton, michigan, portraying president obama as a witch doctor.

we took to the streets of washington to get reaction. >> i think it's disrespectful to the office of president to portray him in this manner. it's racist. >> this is appalling. >> reporter: just how prevalent were the protesters carrying racially charged messages? difficult to quantify. cnn all-platform journalist jim spellman spent weeks covering the tea party demonstrators as a whole. >> only a handful of people seemed to outwardly have racial issues with the president, but the more you talk to people, you could sense that it was part of a larger distrust. >> reporter: for their part, tea party leaders disavowed any racist views. >> i saw very little overt racism or anger, and those were on the fringes and were marginalized. >> reporter: they want attention focused on the role and reach of government into people's lives, but say that controversial protesters have the right to speak their mind. >> part of america is that there are people who are bigoted. and, you know, you're never going to convince them not to be. you don't have to embrace them, but in this country, you can't

shut them up, either. >> "chicago tribune" columnist clarence page sees the obama presidency as a chance for some to lash out. >> people are not just mad at obama, they're mad at jesse jackson, they're mad at reverend wright, they're mad at al sharpton, they're mad at people who have nothing to do with obama, except they happen to be black. >> reporter: page says the vehemently racial resistance that's emerged is another sign that any notion of a post-racial society after barack obama's election was wishful thinking. >> it's only the beginning of the process that we are able to live with leadership that may not look like us, may not come from the same background as us, but is still part of this very diverse society. >> reporter: mark williams, the tea party organizer we talked to notes that there's been inflammatory rhetoric and statements at events like anti-war protests in the past, burning flags and hanging effigies, he says. his point, that like other grassroots movements, the tea party protesters are a cross-section of america.

elaine quijano, cnn, washington. let's head over to rob marciano now in the severe weather center. and it looks like, at least from what i can see there, rain, in the south? yeah? not texas, i hope. >> no, moving out of texas, leftover showers in dallas, but most of the action is heading east. it's really spreading out and fingers of this low rotating around. reaching as far east as the smokey mountains. getting a little more expansive, but not moving any quicker. and because of that, a threat for flooding is going to exist today for a good chunk of the southeast. namely, i think it's going to be mostly southern arkansas, northern louisiana, and then stretching up into parts of northern mississippi. some of these thunderstorms will be resulting in heavy rain and there are flash flood watches that are posted for this area. not only through today, but right on through tomorrow afternoon. kind of a cool shot. this is the memphis tower camera. a little bit of a green thing going on. that's not entirely because of the sky, but probably the camera

there. dolly par don bridgton bridge. rain on the way for you in memphis. bring along the rain gear if you're heading outside tonight. there's the rain shield, again, expanding off to the east and picking up moisture from the gulf of mexico. also notice that the cold air will be rotating in from canada, into the northeast. today's highs will be in the 80s with tomorrow's highs in new york city will be 66 degrees. so definitely some chilly air. mentioned fred a few minutes ago. well, this is what's left over of fred. not quite dead yet. national hurricane center still keeping an eye on it, as drifting this way. so we'll watch it as well. still several days away. but just wanted to point that out, because fred just doesn't want to completely go away. >> i know. it's a hang-arounder. thanks, rob. the 1988 bombings at two u.s. embassies in africa and the deadly 2002 blast at an israeli hotel in kenya. for years, a top suspect has

been running free. until now. (woman) dear cat.

your hair mixes with pollen and dust. i get congested. but now with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breathe freer, so i can love the air™. (announcer) zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. it was tough news to hear. everything changed. i didn't know what to do. right about then, our doctor mentioned the exelon patch.

he said it releases medicine continuously for 24 hours. he said it could help with her cognition which includes things like memory, reasoning, communicating and understanding. (announcer) the most common side effects of exelon patch are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. the likelihood and severity of these side effects may increase as the dose increases. patients may experience loss of appetite or weight. patients who weigh less than 110 pounds may experience more side effects. people at risk for stomach ulcers or who take certain other medicine should talk to their doctor because serious stomach problems, such as bleeding may worsen. mom's diagnosis was hard to hear, but there's something i can do. (announcer) visit exelonpatch.com for free caregiving resources.

the opening bell, right there for you. all-american rejects. going to give them hell on wall street today, ringing the bell. and a new report shows americans were in the buying mood last month. let's see in investors are in a buying mode. susan lisovicz at the new york stock exchange with a look ahead. hi, there, susan. >> hi, heidi. today, the all-american rejects on wall street. >> i'm not saying anything. >> neither will i. let's talk about retail sales. i'll tell you, it prompted stock features to turn higher and we're seeing some nibbling in the first few seconds of trading. retail sales surged nearly 3% last month after falling in july. three words why retail sales

jumped, heidi collins. you got a clue there? >> absolutely. >> cash for clunkers. >> oh, yeah. >> a big reason. along with higher gas prices, electronics, appliance stores and electronic stores all posted gains as well, a sign that maybe shoppers are gaining some confidence. well, it will be a while, probably, before we can confidently say the retail sector has turned around, because we do have best buy posting a 22% drop in quarterly profits on lower sales. toys "r" us, meanwhile, trying desperately to gain market share. it's setting up 350 temporary stores. it will keep those mall-based pop-up stores open, of course, during the holiday shopping season. toys "r" us hoping to catch some of the spending that went to now defunct kb toys. and there are reports that citigroup trying to get the government out of its board room. discussing how to reduce the government's 35% stake in the

bank. possibly selling some shares as early as next month. the government pumped $45 billion into citigroup. nice to get some of that back. checking the early numbers, those anybonibbling, not really happening. seeing modest losses. and those losses turned into gains at the end of trade yesterday. >> thanks, susan. an important hearing just now getting under way on capitol hill. joint chiefs chairman admiral michael mullen is set to testify in front of his senate armed services committee. it's his nomination hearing now for a second term as the president's top military adviser. the majority of his testimony is expected to focus on afghanistan, as you might imagine. the chairman of the committee, senator carl levin, has become an outspoken opponent on the current strategy there. afghanistan also the focus of a new cnn opinion research corporation poll just out this morning. it shows support for the war in afghanistan at an all-time low.

just 39% of americans say they favor the war. 58% oppose it. here's the support by the political -- by political party now. 62% of republicans are in favor. 39 of independents and 23% of democrats. those numbers for democrats, even lower than they were just two weeks ago. cnn white house correspondent suzanne malveaux is joining us now to talk about this a little bit more. what is the white house actually think about those numbers, suzanne? >> reporter: this is going to be a very tough sell for the white house. what was interesting, heidi, you take a look at those numbers, the republican support for the war in afghanistan really took a nosedive and that's why you see those numbers declining. one of the things that the white house is doing is that they are trying, essentially, to debate and figure out what to do next. there is a fierce debate that's taking place inside of this building, inside of this white house. the president has said before that the goal is clear, to disrupt, dismantle, defeat al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan. but robert gibbs, the press secretary says, look, we're not going to be rushed into this.

that there's going to be weeks and weeks to basically take a look at all of the alternatives. we know that one of those possibilities is an increase in troops. we know that some people inside the white house are quite fearful this could be mission creep or nation building. they want to make sure they've got a very clear mission ahead. that's why you're going to see them take their time and there is that question, heidi, whether or not this is going to make an impact on the president's political agenda, the ability to get things done and potentially even turn into a one-term president. i want you to take a listen to what he said on cnbc. >> do you reflect on what happened to lyndon johnson and worry the same might happen to you? >> well, i think that you have to learn the lessons from history. on the other hand, each historical moment is different. you never step into the same river twice. and so afghanistan is not vietnam, but the dangers of overreach and not having clear goals and not having strong support from the american

people, those are all issues that i think about all the time. >> reporter: and heidi, i had a chance to talk to an analyst with the center for strategic international studies who said, afghanistan looks very different now than it did eight years ago. unclear whether or not al qaeda is really centralized in that country, whether or not it has spread regionally, not so much targeted in that particular area. so there are questions about whether or not there should be that kind of resources all poured into afghanistan and setting up the war there. >> well, of course, we'll be continuing to follow that for quite some time. certainly. and as we see admiral mike mullen on capitol hill this morning, we'll listen to that. > and the president will be heading out on the road. what will he be talking about? >> reporter: two different stops. lordstown, ohio, at a gm plant. that's where he'll be saying, look, his cash for clunkers program was a success. the money that was lent to that auto plant actually worked and was turned around. they're actually bringing

workers back to work next month. he's then heading to pittsburgh. that's where he's going to speak before afl-cio, obviously, to push for it on health care reform with labor leaders. >> all right. well, we'll be watching all of it. thanks so much, suzanne malveaux in front of the white house for us this morning. after years of hunting for a top al qaeda operative, american forces think they've finally caught up with him in somalia. our david mckenzie joining us now live from nairobi in neighboring kenya. david, remind us exactly of who we're talking about here. >> reporter: heidi, a dramatic daytime raid according to officials, taking on this man,. he's wanted for an attack on the embassy hotel in 2002 and a botched attempt on an airliner. he's also wanted for questioning on 1998, those two attacks on

the embassy in east africa. but we are hearing that he has been killed. it would be a major victory for the u.s. forces should such a high-level al qaeda operative been taken out. heidi? >> very good. we'll stay on top of this one alongside you from nairobi, kenya, david mckenzie, thank you. your college student's phone calls home running up your bills and what about those enormous book fees? there are some things you can do to reinin some of the college costs. (announcerneutroténa tone correcting night serum with high performance soy to even skin tone and active retinol to speed cell turn over. clinically shown to visibly fade brown spots in 14 nights. i even out my skin at night so it looks younger, flawless in the morning. (announcer) neutrogena tone correcting now you can fade and prevent discolorations all day. new tone correcting spf 30.

checking top stories now. the nation's terror alert system could change. associated press reporting now a task force is expected to recommend reducing the alerts from five to three colors or

three threat levels. the review also determined the government needs to be more transparent about its reasons for raising or lowering the levels. the bipartisan task force reports its findings to the obama administration. a shocking upset at the u.s. open men's final. look at that. argentina's juan martine del potro knocked off top-seated roger federer in a five-set, four-hour match. it was the 20-year-old del potro's first grand slam final and the first time he has beaten federer. federer plagued by shoddy serving fell short in his bid to win the open for the sixth straight year. very exciting. a year in turmoil. that's the name of the conference where fed chairman ben bernanke is speaking at just about 20 minutes from now. and turmoil is the right way to describe all that happened after lehman brothers toppled exactly one year ago. expect bernanke to reflect on the financial crisis and the

angs actions taken to stop the free fall. remembering the fear and uncertainty one year ago when lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy. but the united states wasn't the only country reeling after the banking giant collapsed. it also had a ripple effect on financial institutions and markets all over the world. we have correspondents in some of those countries. let's begin with adrian finnegan in london. >> reporter: here in london, the collapse of lehman brothers was the precursor for a wave of unprecedented financial turbulence. the nationalization of rbs, the rescue of lloyds tsb found that it had bitten off more than it could chew. property values slumped by as much as 20%. unemployment rose steadily while interest rates fell to record lows. >> reporter: i'm al goodman in madrid outside an unemployment office where the lines are much

longer than a year ago. and you're seeing this right across the nation. spain's jobless rate, 18%, the worst in the european union. 4 million spaniards out of work, and that's 1.5 million more than just a year ago when lehman brothers collapsed. the financial crisis cut down spain's booming construction industry and hundreds of thousands of new homes are still unsold. spain's tourism industry caught a deep chill and along with every other sector is shedding jobs. these lines are expected to stay long for a long time to come. >> reporter: i'm robin cono in johannesburg. many people believe that africa would be relatively insulated or shielded from the full impacts of the global economic meltdown. how wrong they were, because at the beginning of the year, it became clear that although the impact was, indeed, delayed, it

was no less severe. growth rates across the continent dropped, so much so that it's estimated 8 million to 10 million more people fell into poverty and it also probably led to at least 50,000 more children dying. now, to make matters worse, tourism also fell, commodity prices dropped, and demand fell, which all hits trade across the whole continent. >> speaking of your expenses and your money, college expenses go far beyond tuition costs. think books, meal cards, and nights out. but there are ways you and your kids can put a lid on spending cnn's personal finance editor, gerri willis is here with today's "saving money now" segment. gerri, where do we start? there's the books, the food, the phone calls home, and the beer. >> yeah. but it's not all pizza and beer there, heidi. college students spend nearly $1,000 a year on textbooks.

but there are a growing number of options out there. first, get your used books online. check out half.com and campusbookswap.com. these days, you can even get e-books down loaded to your laptop for half the price. and don't rule out international editions. don't forget to resell your books either when you're done. >> what about reducing those phone calls home? >> right. that's a big one. get the best discount phone plan you can. a great place to go, billshrink.com where you can input some of your usage information. there could be a plan out there that could save you a couple of dollars a month and that's definitely worth looking into. you can even tap the power of the internet to cut your phone bills. companies like vonage and skype use voice over internet protocol or voip technology to offer potentially cheaper phone services. so that's definitely worth looking into. >> yeah, sure. entertainment, as we know, big expense, especially for college kids. any ideas on this? >> well, let's talk about free, right? everybody loves free.

>> that's a good deal. >> check out freeonlinevideogames for pop.com. and you'll find a list of movie sites including hulu.com. movie fans, go over to pandora.com for hours of free tunes. >> what advice do you have about credit cards? do you give your college kid a credit card? give one in your name? how should people be handling that? >> guess what, often you don't even have that option because your college student gets it on compass, right, before you even have that conversation. but they're not going to be doing that anymore starting next year. until then, though, you want to make sure you avoid the free t-shirt and pen marketers who offer kids to sign up for a card. we want kids to build up a solid credit history. find your homework and find a card with a low interest rate and the best terms available. there are special student cards

designed specially for college students. mom and dad can also help with this and sort of keep a lend on spending by also being on that credit card as well. >> yeah, great ideas. thank you, gerry. sure do appreciate that. >> good to see you. >> good to see you too. cars zipping along the turnpike, a falling piece of concrete, a disaster waiting to happen in massachusetts. hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

i want to get this out to you right now. our pentagon correspondent, chris lawrence, is on the line with me to tell us a little bit more about the vice president, who is sort of on a surprise trip, as we speak, in iraq. chris, tell us what you know. >> reporter: well, heidi, it was somewhat of a surprise to all of us in the press corps. we didn't even know where we were going and we weren't told until we were wheels up from andrews air force base. and we were told we were coming to iraq. the vice president has now landed in iraq, expected to meet with top iraqi leaders, including president jalal talabani, prime minister nuri al maliki, and also as well, some of the leaders from the kurdish

regional government up north. that is a very important distinction, because there's been rising tension between the kurdish government up there and the iraqi government iraqi gove over land. the vice president going to meet with leaders of the iraqi government and the kurdish area up north. also going to be meeting with some enlisted men, some soldiers that are stationed here in iraq, and some of the top commanders. some of the questions we'll have for the vice president will be the possibility of perhaps drawing down another brigade of troops from iraq to bolster the effort in afghanistan. heidi? >> all right. very good. i would ask you more but i think you're finding it out sort of as you go there. chris lawrence, sure do appreciate that coming to us while traveling with vice president biden in iraq today. we'll keep our eye on that for you. ♪

remembering patrick swayze. the actor who starred in pictures like this "dirty dance" and "ghost" and "roadhouse" died yesterday at age 57. despite his success, he sought to stretch his career with offbeat roles. it's one of the biggest topics people around the world are following online today. our josh levs has been watching all of this and joins us now with a little bit more. hi there, josh. people are really sad about this. >> they're really moved. to many people he was an icon. do you have a favorite -- >> i'm torn. it would be "dirty dancing" and "ghost." >> people are saying don't put baby in the corner and all of the guys are saying the pottery scene in "ghost" great stuff.

let's zoom in here. our top story on cnn.com. what i want to do now is jump over to something that we have. we're linking you to this. at life.com they have this really beautiful spread that we link you to here through his life. when he met his wife. time he spent with other celebrities. you can see the work he was involved in. famous shot there from "ghost" all of that at life.com. we also have a time line for you that takes you through parts of his career. key moments in his career including this, which will mean so much to a lot of people if i can get it. the "dirty dancing." we've been reaching out to people. what do you want people to remember about him? we'll show you what people have been writing news the newsroom. this is from deborah --

let's jump over here to twitter for a second. we have this tweet. swayze appeared to be the most decent man anyone could hope to be. obviously a lot of people thinking of him today. we're also opening up our i-report page as well. we look forward to getting reports from you. let's geto to the graphic. you have blog, facebook, twitter pages, many people posting memories and many posting youtube links or links to photos or their favorite fan sites. that kind of thing. a lot to check out throughout the day as we look back on this man's life and career. >> all right. very good. thanks so much. a lot going on this morning. in fact, cnn crews are in place to break it all down for you. let's check in with our correspondents beginning with deb in new york. good morning to you, deb. >> good morning. investigators are trying to find

out whether there was a bona fide threat or there federal agents jumped the gun. i'm brianna keilar on capitol hill where democrats are planning a vote to give congressman joe wilson a verbal slap on the wrist. a public slap on the wrist. republicans say it's politics. is it? i'll have details coming up. i'm susan lisovicz at the new york stock exchange where we're keeping an eye on your tax collars. this is one of the biggest recipients of t.a.r.p. funds may prepare to pay us back. more on that in the next hour. >> great. we'll check in with all of you later on. we'll also look at the late scandal to hit acorn under fire and firing back. this job, i admit, i had some doubts. probably a lot like you. but i like what i found. i think you will too. car for car, when compared to the competition, we win. simple as that. i just know if you get into one of our cars, you're gonna like what you see.

so we're putting our money where our mouth is. buy a new chevy, buick, gmc or cadillac and if you are not 100% happy, return it. we'll take it back. that's our new 60-day satisfaction guarantee. and as always you'll get our 100,000-mile, 5-year powertrain warranty on every vehicle. that's how strongly we feel about our cars. and how committed we are to you. so put us to the test-- put us up against anyone and may the best car win. [screeching] [dejectedly] oh. [screeching] [barks] (man) if you think about it, this is what makes the ladders different from other job-search sites. [screeching] we only work with the big talent. [all coughing]

welcome to the ladders-- a premium job site for only $100k-plus jobs and only $100k-plus talent.

the law says don't drive drunk. even if you're driving a motorized scooter. this is police dash cam video now. police say this milwaukee man was drunk when he took a spin on the freeway on a motorized scooter he borrowed from a friend.

when tested police say he blew three times over the limit. he already has four prior convictions for drunk driving. thank goodness he wasn't in a car. falling from above. a chunk of concrete smashing a woman's windshield. it dropped from a massachusetts turnpike overpass in austin. some of the concrete landed on the driver through her sunroof. she had only moments to deal with the shock. >> all of a sudden it sounded like an explosion and before i knew it all of the rock -- tons of rocks had come through my windshield and through my sunroof and landed on me. >> she has minor injuries. crews have a temporary fix on the damaged overpass. time to check our other stories happening in the news today. police in baltimore say a college student claims he was just protecting himself this morning when he killed an intruder with a sword. the john hopkins university

student cut off the intruders hand and slashed his upper body during a struggle. prosecutors have not decide wld to file charges in the case. the trial gets under way in the high school coach charged with reckless homicide after a player collapsed and died after a rigorous practice. britain's prince harry turns 25 today. the youngest son of charles and diana is now entitled to part of his inheritance. gets interest income from the money his mother left him when she died in 1997. he will be entitled to the whole amount when he turns 30. president obama on the road this morning and apparently in full campaign mode right now. he's on his way to ohio and then he has stops in pittsburgh and philadelphia. he's focusing on two of his top priorities, that's health care reform and the economy and help

raise money for a longtime republican. there's a lot of ground to cover here. white house correspondent suzanne malveaux here to walk us through everything happening today. hi there, suzanne. >> reporter: the first stop the president already leaving the white house. he's heading to ohio where general motors plant is. he's highlighting this place. wants to show that this is a success story. this is a place where just a couple of months ago gm and chrysler declared bankruptcy and said they were out of bankruptcy after $48 billion in u.s. loans to those auto companies. this is a place that's going to bring back about 1,000 workers are so to start a new production line. they say thanks to the cash for clunkers program those federal dollars able to turn in and exchange those cars and that they also say that loan, that money from the federal government helped turn things around. they are restructuring becoming leaner and meaner. this is all a part of what the president is trying to do when

he's talking to the american people, talking to workers saying i understand the economic situation. i understand people are worried about their health care but that things are getting better. this was part of his message at least when he went to wall street just yesterday. >> all right. are we going to hear that on wall street? >> reporter: i don't think we are. that was part of the message. let me tell you about his second stop. he's going to pittsburgh. this is a very important stop as well because this is labor, big labor. this is a group of folks that do support his health care reform plan. they are trying to work with him to make this work. this is something that will be a friendly audience and obviously he's trying to push forward to say you're going to benefit, many americans are going to benefit from this. and so those are two very important stops that he's making essentially to push forward that health care reform and try to convince the american people, yes, they get it. unemployment is high. but they do believe that things

are beginning to turn, heidi. >> all happening as his vice president is in iraq this morning. all right. suzanne malveaux, appreciate that in front of the white house today. fed chairman ben bernanke speaking at washington's brookings institute this hour giving the keynote address at a conference called a year in turmoil. especially bernanke to reflect on the financial crisis and the desperate measures the government took in order to deal with it. on capitol hill, a major development looms in the health care debate. a bipartisan group of senators says a compromise bill could be unveiled tomorrow. right now house speaker nancy pelosi is taking part in a round table discussion of why she says reform is needed. she's joined by other democrats who support an overhaul. the health care debate has stirred deep passions on capitol hill as we saw last week as the president addressed a joint session of congress. today that congressman, republican joe wilson of south carolina, could face a formal scolding. cnn's congressional

correspondent brianna keilar has details. >> reporter: congressman joe wilson on the house floor monday. >> mr. speaker, during the august recess i was honored to host the largest congressional town halls in the history of south carolina. >> reporter: it wasn't what democrats wanted to hear. they want wilson to apologize for shouting "you lie" as president obama addressed congress last week. >> the reforms i'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie! >> it's not true. >> reporter: wilson said sunday he's done saying sorry. >> i called immediately. i did apologize. i believe one apology is sufficient. >> reporter: now democratic leaders want to slap him on the wrist. one leadership aide saying -- the typically reserved southerner has become a hero of sorts to those who oppose the democrats health care plan.

a campaign aide says wilson raked in at least a million dollars for his re-election. cameras caught him signing the infamous photo of his outburst and tea party protesters cheered him on. >> i thank god for congressman wilson that had the courage to say you lie! >> reporter: fellow republicans are circulating a letter in support of wilson and defending him on the house floor. >> i stand with joe wilson. let's get on with the business of this house. let's start running this country instead of doing cheap political points. >> brianna keilar joins us now from capitol hill this morning. so what exactly is a resolution of disapproval? what could happen if they decide to, you know, carry this through with representative wilson? >> reporter: you call this a public slap on the wrist. i think that's a really good description of this. the house of representatives has at its disposal a menu of disciplinary actions going all of the way up to expulsion and this vote on a resolution of

disapproval doesn't even really fall into that menu. that menu is for more serious offenses than yelling out on the house floor. this is democrats basically going on the record and in public being able to say we do not approve of this. really, it's no more than that. >> very good. we're following this one all of the way through. brianna keilar, sure do appreciate it. vice president joe biden is in iraq this morning. he landed in baghdad 90 minutes ago. this is video of biden's last visit there. biden is expected to meet with u.s. commanders and troops again this time. he'll also talk with iraqi government leaders. as we said, this is biden's second trip to iraq since president obama made him administration's point man on the country. support is at an all-time low for the war in afghanistan. a new cnn opinion research corporation poll released this morning says 39% of americans approve of the war. that's a big drop from the 50%

support in may. may was the last time supporters outweighed those who opposed the war. 58% say they oppose the war in afghanistan. this is our first poll on the war since august finished as the deadliest year for u.s. troops there. we would also like to poll heidi show viewers directly asking you what you think about many different topics. today, do you support the war in afghanistan? w why? we'll share it with you later on. admiral mike mullen is talking about afghanistan on capitol hill this morning. you're looking at live pictures. senator john mccain now conducting some questioning there of the admiral. it is mullen's renomination hearing as the president's top military adviser. he became joint chief chairman in 2007 under president bush.

he supports the effort in afghanistan. that he says more u.s. troops are probably needed in order to accomplish the objective. we'll keep our eye on that one for you. an early morning terror raid in new york. neighbors were shocked when federal agents swarmed in to search several buildings in queens. deborah feyerick is live in new york with more on this. so, deb, what happened here? >> reporter: it appears that federal agents were tracking a man traveling from the midwest to new york city as part of what sources call an investigation into potential terrorism. dozens of heavily armed fbi agents from the joint terrorism task force executed search warrants at two known locations in flushings, queens, hours before the president arrived in manhattan. witnesses described machine guns, riot gear, bulletproof vests, no specific plot against the president and no bomb making materials were found. fbi agents did con ffiscate a f

boxes and also a taxi driver shaken for the ordeal saying he works hard seven days a week. authorities reacted out of extreme caution. >> there were some rumors that the terrorist act was imminent. that's not true. second, there was some speculation that the raids were related to president obama's visit to new york because they occurred at the same time. that is not true. >> reporter: here's where it gets cloudy. two sources later contradicted senator schumer saying concerns of the president's new york visit did play a role and al qaeda central and homegrown terrorists are a big concern especially here in new york city. you know the saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and perhaps that could be applied in this case. >> understood. deborah feyerick following that story for us this morning.

the nation's terror alert system could change. associated press reporting that a task force is expected to recommend reducing alerts from five down to three threat levels. the government needs to be transparent in the need to raise or lower the level. it's been a week since she disappeared. two days since her body was found. are the clues starting to add up now in the killing of a yale student? essential insurances... term life and disability... in one affordable package. start building your safety net with our term life and disability tool at metlife.com you can serve a nutritious breakfast from walmart for just over $1 a person. one breakfast a week saves a family of four over $800 a year. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ bicycle,

what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. zyrtec® works fast, so i can love the air™. let's get chinese should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with new wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes mmmh, orange chicken.

great. i didn't feel like going out anyway (announcer) wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer

want to get this news out to you now. you're looking at coral gables, florida. police have locked down the high school there that you're looking at after a student was stabbed to death. all we know and of course you can see it for yourself as luke at these live pictures is that the police have surrounded the school and of course are looking into what happened here. but apparently it all took place in the court yard area of the school. once again, corr coral cables h school. we'll let you know as more as we get more information. coral gables, florida, this morning. definitely not random is how

police are describing the killing of yale student annie le. as we wait to hear more from the medical examiner today, tom foreman looks at the clues investigators have so far. >> reporter: days ago a 24-year-old graduate student walked into this medical research building and into a mystery. more than 70 security cameras are around that facility. one caught this image of annie le going in but she never came back out. she disappeared less than a week before her wedding and for days there was speculation about a possible runaway bride or even a kidnapping. on sunday the day she was to be married, police found her body stuffed inside a space inside a wall in the basement of this building. a few floors below where they found some of her things. the very building where she was last seen. people who know this building say to get into that area you have to have a security pass leading to tremendous

speculation that this might be an inside job. the building remains sealed off as police continue to search it and investigators say bloody clothing was found hidden inside ceiling tiles and they also scoured a trash facility. police admit they have a lot of evidence but beyond that they're not saying much. >> we're not releasing any information at this time because we have an ongoing homicide case so we can't tell you what we have, where we found anything or what it is. >> reporter: others who knew annie le said she worked late in this building here on the second floor. they say she was always friendly and always said hello and was often alone. many times at midnight she could come down the steps, go across this deserted plaza and get on a shuttle bus taking people to campus and into the neighborhoods nearby where many live. as the campus holds a vigil for annie le, many people admit they're nervous. security has been increased and

police say they do not believe it was a random killing but the fact remains a young woman was murdered inside a yale building surrounded by security cameras and locked doors and a week later police have yet to make an arrest. tom foreman, cnn, new haven, connecticut. >> remembering annie le on the campus where she died. hundreds of people gathered at yale last night for a candlelight vigil. not everyone who came out knew annie personally but all are affected by her death. >> it's been a great sense of a family. i think when we lose someone like we lost her. you know, we feel it and the community feels it. that's why we're here. >> today during one of my classes my tescher was, like, we called my parents. i'm okay. i love you kind of thing. it was important just to really refocus on what's important in life. >> i definitely think about friends and family and just how fleeting life can be and how we have to really appreciate every

moment and just show love. show support for each other. >> le's roommate spoke at last night's vigil calling her death completely senseless. lots of rain in the south and rob marciano is with us now to talk a bit more about that. what else to expect across the country. >> very slow moving system. we talked about flooding yesterday. dramatic pictures yesterday not only just yesterday but over the weekend much of eastern and northern dallas and north texas seeing quite a bit of this rain from this area of low pressure which doesn't want to move that quickly. because of that a threat for seeing more flooding rain today and notably more east of texas area. that's good news. bad news for folks that live in arkansas, northern louisiana, this is where the rotation is going to kind of just sit and spin. it's centered right there. you can see it's move moving that quickly to the east. as long as we have that action going on, flood watches are in

effect not only today but through tomorrow for this general area and this forecast showing another 2 to 4 inches in some of those individual cells across parts of southern arkansas. the rain shield pushing east into parts of georgia, tennessee and western parts of the carolinas. and the other thing to note is what's going on across parts of the northeast. a nice day today but cooler air is going to be starting to filter in and you'll see notable changes after 81-degree high temperature today in new york. that's toasty for this time of year. 87 expected in d.c. as far as what you can expect tomorrow, 66 degrees. >> you can tell us what to expect tomorrow? >> i'll give it a shot. settle down. 59 degrees in boston. 73 degrees tomorrow in d.c. a little west coast love, 82 degrees in los angeles. parts of california yesterday inland especially and central and northern california saw record breaking rain. only 0.01 inch in spots but

we're not quite in rainy season just yet. we're in the rainy season or at least we had a lot of rain in parts of texas yesterday. this is just 24-hour totals. monroe, louisiana, 4 inches. notice we're spreading the love as far as rain goes. texas, louisiana, mississippi, florida, alabama instead of all of it being just in texas. that's what we like to do. spread love here in the "cnn newsroo newsroom". this is my world. >> you hate when i speak to you. they leave my fmike on. i can't help myself. a new study about cell phones will have your ears ringing. our parents telling us what to do... how to behave. now, all of a sudden, we're there, in that role, at that time in our lives where everyone and everything is depending on us. it's a scary feeling, but it's also a good one.

especially when i'm confident someone's there for me. but now that i'm breathing better with advair... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be use more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. we had a great day, grandpa! we sure did. ask your doctor how advair helps improve lung function

for better breathing. (announcer) find out how to get your first full prescription free at advaircopd.com. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. time for a check of our top stories this morning. a new law enforcement report says itdelays no evidence that

ohio father threatened to kill his daughter for changing faiths. the 17-year-old ran away to florida because she feared for her life after converting to christianity. her parents are muslim. a california judge could decide whether to send her home to ohio. american forces think they caught up with a top al qaeda operative in somalia. the man is believed to be -- it is believed that u.s. special forces killed him in a daylight raid. troops took the body away for identification. he's wanted to attacks including bombings at two u.s. embassies in africa in 1998. the infamous shoe thrower set free. the iraqi journalist who tossed his shoes at then president bush walked out of prison early this morning. he offered no apologies instead said he saw his chance and didn't miss it. he says he was beaten and

tortured during his nine months in prison. kathleen sebelius is talking h1n1 flu prevention today. sebelius is discussing what health officials expect to see during flu season and steps being taken to protect against the h1n1 flu. first it was serena williams mouthing down at the u.s. open and now roger federer has who has a problem with the officiating.

we are hearing every day about how people can't live without their smart phone but some people say it could put your health at risk.

brian todd has information on a new report linking cell phone use to brain cancer. >> reporter: elle marks thinks it may be too late to save her husband but determined to hell his story in washington. he has brain cancer and elle says his doctors pin it on one device. how much did alan use his cell phone? >> he used his cell phone a lot. it was glued to his ear. he's in the real estate industry. he used it probably average about 22 hours a month. >> reporter: this was in the 1990s when cell phones were bigger and emitted more radiation but she's also concerned about current cell phones and pdas, personal digital assistance and she's not alone. a new report from the environmental working group warns of radiation risks and has a top ten list. motorola has five models on it. blackberry has two. >> this is a blackberry bold. one of the top ten emitters on your list. what's wrong with phones like

this according to your study. >> there are high levels of radiation associated with increases in brain cancer in recent studies who looked at people who use cell phones for more than ten years. >> reporter: the environmental working group says it didn't test the phones itself. instead used existing data and it admits science is not det definitive. they emit higher levels of radiation but does not assert the phone themselves increase the risk of cancer. motorola issued a statement saying radiation levels in its products are within safe exposure limits. a representative for the blackberry manufacturer did not respond to our calls and e-mails. the wireless trade association sites fda and american cancer society studies showing for adverse health effects from wireless phones. a research from the national institute of health say some data concerns him but when pressed -- taken as a whole with studies that we're talking about and ones you have done, are these devices really emitting

radiation levels that are concerning or unsafe? >> right now i cannot answer that question. we just don't have the data to answer that question yet. >> reporter: the environmental working group also has an issue with the safety standards put out by the government. it says standards set by the federal communications commission are based on 1992 recommendations and are very outdated. contacted by cnn, the fcc said it has always relied on the advice of government health agencies for safety standards and no agencies have recommended the standards of wireless devices be changed. brian todd, cnn, washington. embarrassing videos, allegations of voter fraud, now it seems acorn is paying for it after the senate takes action. ♪ bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet.

and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. zyrtec® works fast, so i can love the air™. (announcer) canopy egyptian cotton sheets are designed to get softer every time you wash them which makes your bed easier to sleep in and that much harder to leave.

canopy home furnishings. now at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. how to get rich, by america's health insurance companies. health insurance premiums 4 times faster than wages. million dollars a year. deny payment for 1 out of every 5 treatments doctors prescribe. if the insurance companies win, you lose. tell congress to rewrite the story. we want good health care we can afford with the choice of a public health insurance option. this bar is an excellent source of fiber. there's no fiber in this. tastes too good. there is fiber. [ chuckle ] no. i can't taste the fiber in this chocolate. they have 35% of your daily value. hmm. oh, samples. hmm.

autobahn. wackenschdol. fiber one chewy bars. cardboard no. delicious yes. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the service that's right... for you, your car, and your budget. at meineke, you're always the driver.

a slash in federal funding for community organizers acorn. the senate voted to cut the group off partway last night. the vote was 83-7 on the amendment from a republican senator keeping acorn from getting millions from the transportation and housing bill but it could get funding from other federal sources. now on friday the u.s. census bureau ended its deal with acorn to work with the 2010 census. acorn has made headlines in recent months as you know after allegations of voter fraud in the last election and embarrassing video coming to light in the last few weeks. abby tells us how acorn is taking action to rehab its image. >> reporter: the three videos show acorn workers apparently offering help and advice to a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute. acorn spokesman calls it a right

wing setup. >> it's a sham is what it is. it's an orchestrated sham. it's journalism by borack attempting to create news and doing it in a deceiving not genuine way and trying to trick people who are trying to help people. >> reporter: so far acorn fired four of the workers from the videos and has started a nationwide we view of its local offices. yet it questions the motivation of the filmmakers suggesting the tapes were doctored though it has not produced any evidence to back that claim. >> we've been demanding the raw footage, the unedited tape, the undoctored tape to figure out what was really going on. >> reporter: in the latest undercover video from brooklyn, new york, the filmmaker walk

into an acorn office looking for help setting up a brothel. they are advised to hide their income in a tin can. you get a tin and bury it down in there. you put it right in there. >> i put the money in a tin? >> reporter: in an earlier video, d.c. workers advised the pimp about how to get his money and protect his good name after he tells them he intends to run for congress some day. >> you're going to have to say that you're getting a gift from somebody. okay. but the money got to go in the bank. >> reporter: and baltimore weighed in on how to hide the fact that the brothel was going to be staffed by young girls brought in illegally from tell

s salvador. >> they're under 16. you don't worry about that. on the other form you return you can use them as a dependent. you can use them as a dependent because they live in your house. especially if they're under 16. >> reporter: we tried to contact all of the workers in three cities without success. now, we have made calls into the fbi since we're now talking not only about two states and the district but also about international sex trafficking and a call into the u.s. department of housing and urban development which gives advice to acorn about whether they intend to investigate these incidents. we're waiting to hear back. >> has there been sort of a call to action by congress? will it go that far?

>> we did talk to steve king about this. he's calling for a full congressional and justice department investigation. his big question to me is why didn't these people pick up the phone and call the police when they talk about trafficking in underage girls and that didn't happen in these cases. i think that's one of the main things he says is this systemic? is this a pattern? that's what he wants investigated. >> we'll stay on top of that appreciate it. thank you. and the president wants a new agency that will protect you from bad financial practices but some members of congress are pushing back against that idea. we'll break it down for you in just a moment. - hello. - hi!

i'm finally going to get a flat panel for my home theater. - ( cheering ) - ( laughs ) thank you. what should i get? uh, you. you should check out our new leds. the picture's better than life. okay, but i don't want to pay too much. don't worry about it. we'll match those other stores' prices. and we'll deliver and hook it up for free. okay. last question. if you guys are here, who's in the stores?

the latest home theater technology and thousands of people eager to help. best buy. buyer be happy. [ thunder rumbles ] what is the sign of a good decision? in the world of personal finance, it's massmutual. find strength and stability in a company that's owned by its policyholders. ask your advisor or visit massmutual.com.

a new development to report on that gruesome attack on milwaukee's mayor. anthony peters has entered an insanity plea. his lawyer says he has a long history of mental health issues. mayor tom barrett suffered head, mouth and hand injuries but is now recovering. barrett had tried to intervene in a tussle between peters and the grandmother of peters' child. hispanic americans begin a celebration of their heritage and culture today. it recognizes the contributions of hispanic americans to the united states. tune into "latino in america" airing next month on cnn. a former president gets the same treatment the current president received at a school district in texas. the north texas school district that refused to show president obama's speech canceled a trip

soo see former president bush. the cash for clunkers program helping to drive up retail sales for august. numbers just in from the commerce department total retail of .2%. auto sales went up nearly 12%. now at this time last year, lehman brothers failed and bailout became an every day word on wall street. cisicitigroup received one of t biggest bailouts but taxpayers may get some of it back. susan lisovicz with details. good morning. this will be something that everybody could be excited about, huh? >> reporter: not only get the money back but make a profit on that. how's that for a headline one year after lehman? things happen quickly on wall street. we have seen that happen over the past year.

reports say that citigroup approached the treasury department about reducing its 35% stake in the company. how would that happen? by a stock sale. could happen quickly. could happen later this fall. and the headline is that we all could make money on it. nearly $10 billion. why is that? the government got those shares at a much lower price. not that citigroup shares are like berkshire hathaway but citigroup shares are under pressure. rest of the market not doing a whole lot. right now a little negative but not much. it's sort of staying close to the flat line. >> yeah. s you mentioned this is happening quickly. is citigroup healthy enough to repay us? we're talking about stock price already but still.

>> reporter: very good question. there is still dead weight. toxic assets. tens of billions of them still on the book for citigroup. also growing loan defaults. even having said that, citigroup made money the last two quarters and things have changed. the u.s. government is not considered the banker of last resort anymore. there is a sense that citigroup could borrow money from other entities. why would citi want to do that? lose the sigma nificant but it wants the government out of its board room to do what it wants to do. when i interviewed the chairman of citi he says the thing he objects to most of all is not being able to pay his people what he thinks they're worth. it's like the new york yankees. good people, you lose talent, and some of those -- i hear you.

on wall street the most precious resource leaves the building every day. at the end of the day and so that's why citi just like the others, jpmorgan, goldman, in such a hurry to repay the government to do what they want to do. >> we sure do appreciate that. of course we will be checking back with you throughout the day here as always. so thank you so much for that. the president is in ohio to talk next hour about the economic recovery but some of his efforts to help consumers weather the financial storm slow going. allison has our break down now from new york. good morning to you, allison. >> good morning. you remember back in june the president proposed creating a consumer financial protection agency. what it would do is to regulate mortgages, credit cards and other financial products and have the power to ban anything deemed deceptive but so far not much has happened and there's been a lot of pushback both from

the financial industry and from some members of congress. the house could vote on a bill later this month which is also when the senate could release its version of the bill as well. the health care debate could wind up pushing all of this into next year. >> a lot of people say this is a no-brainer. why does there seem to be so much opposition? >> the industry is worried it could stifle innovation and financial products and make credit less available to consumers. some lawmakers also think the government may be overreaching here and others say you can increase consumer protection by stepping up oversight at existing agencies rather than creating a whole new bureaucracy. >> what about the administration's efforts to keep homeowners in their homes? the people that are having a hard time doing that. how's it going? >> the pace is picking up but a slow start. since the president's

foreclosure prevention plan began taking applications in april, only 12% of eligible borrowers had loans modified and that's about 360,000 homeowners. 4 million is the ultimate goal the administration is working to improve the program by streamlining applications and developing online tools that let people check the status of their request but it says loan servicers need to ramp up staffing and improve training to reach out to more borrowers. of course we'll be watching for more progress on this. >> yeah. certainly. very slow going. all right. allison, thank you. he was just 17 when he answered the call to fight for his country and he's one of many remembered today for his bravery. we'll take you to a convention for american heros. instead of $5 per person for fast food,

you can serve a nutritious breakfast from walmart for just over $1 a person. one breakfast a week saves a family of four over $800 a year. save money. live better. walmart. but it can't have... can't have about half a i assure you it does. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes.

admiral mike mullen is on capitol hill today talking about the mission in afghanistan. senator lindsey graham there questioning him. live pictures from the senate armed services committee. mullen says he favors a classic counterinsurgency campaign there that would definitely require more u.s. troops on the ground. there you see him. the u.s. has not had the necessary commitment in the country for several years now. >> we very badly underresourced afghanistan for the better part of four or five years. i've spoken about a culture of poverty there that's been interpreted to focus on the

poverty level in the country. this isn't what i meant. that's a problem. but we have a culture of poverty there amongst us in terms of being underresourced for this expensive period of time where we didn't have the where with all to create a program like that. not that we didn't think it would be needed. and the totality of that underresourcing is something we're just coming to grips with. it's not as simple as trainers or not as simple as combat troops. it is are you committed as afghan people look at it are you committed? this is a regional area that is the epicenter of terrorism and they want -- every time i go and i'm sure it happens to you as well when you're in afghanistan or in pakistan, the question that is on their lips is are you staying or are you going?

>> admiral mike mullen there. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joining us to talk about this now. now that we've heard some of the sound that's going on right now in front of the committee today, words like under resources, just now coming to grips with it, not enough troops in four years, some of those words certainly open up your eyes to the situation in afghanistan once again. >> reporter: you know, heidi, it does seem extraordinary. the latest polls show continuing declining support for the war in afghanistan. democrats and republicans on the hill lining up day by day expressing their skepticism about sending more u.s. troops into combat. this now is president obama's war of concern. this is now the top priority for the president, what to do about afghanistan, how many more troops to send and it seems a

little bit ironic standing at soldier field in chicago today for an extraordinary meeting of veterans of past wars. medal of honor recipients. the nation's highest award for bravery and valor serving above the call of duty. 50 or so living recipients are men who risked their lives in war in combat to save their fellow troops. we want you to meet one very special man, john finn. on this wind swept hillside north of san diego, california, one man's lifetime of treasures. >> i feel all right. i have never been much of a sickly guy. the only time i ever went to the hospital was after december 7th. >> reporter: december 7th, 1941. the day pearl harbor was

attacked by japan. john finn was there serving in the navy he loved. john enlisted as soon as he turned 17. the year, 1926. we'll do the math for you. john finn just turned 100. he lives here on what he calls his ranch recalling detail the day that still lives in impny. >> they rudely awakened us and they kicked the living hell out of us and burned us all up. and then left. they didn't hang around there. that jap admiral knew his business. he went there to do one thing and he did it. >> john was an ordnance specialist. he was manning a machine gun a o one-man counterattack. >> i can remember seeing some cases where i could see the pilot's faces.

>> reporter: john suffered multiple wounds to his hand, arm, head and foot but he refused to leave. >> medical help comes later. if you're busy shooting a machine gun or a rifle or a pistol or doing anything, you can't worry about getting medical attention. my job was right there and it was all i had to do was wait. and at some point during that attack there would come an opportunity for me to actually shoot a japanese plane. >> reporter: for his actions that day, john finn received the medal of honor. the nation's highest military recognition. his citation details how after being ordered to get first aid, he returned to the fight obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty he returned to the squadron area

and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. the nation's oldest living medal of honor recipient assisted by the young president of the united states bristles at the notion he was a hero. >> that damn hero stuff is a bunch of crap i guess. it is one thing that i think any man that is in that -- going to be in the position, you got to understand that there's all kinds of heros but they never get a chance to be in the hero's position. >> reporter: if he's feeling okay, which we suspect he is, john finn will be here later today along with 50 other recipients of the medal of honor. men from world war ii, the korean war and vietnam. heidi, here's what is so

interesting. there are no living medal of honor recipients of the wars in afghanistan and iraq. the medals that have been awa awardawar awarded are not for any living of medal honor recipients for today's wars. >> i have met a lot of medal of honor recipients family members but it's true. you don't get to meet them. boy, john finn there, this damn hero stuff is a bunch of crap stuff. that's the quote i'll take away from today. they always seem to feel that way. we appreciate all of the men and women and their service defending the country. barbara starr, thank you so much. on the blog this morning we're talking a little bit more this morning about the war in afghanistan. we asked you whether or not you support it because of the new poll that's out that shows some of the american support for the war lower than it's been in the past. we'll get to some of your responses here now. cnn.com/heidi is the blog site

here. this person says -- always fresh appreciate your thoughts. thank you for responding. more bad language at the u.s. open. this time the s bomb is dropped. you might be surprised at who let it fly.

when we spend a billion dollars a day buying foreign oil... we don't just waste our money... we put our economy in the hands of hostile nations. we let big oil make record profits... while we struggle. and we lose new energy jobs, r9that go overseas. but we can take charge of our economy... by passing strong clean energy legislation. 1.7 million new american jobs. less carbon pollution. and a cleaner america for our children. it's time for clean american energy. xwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

rob is on set with me for this next story. we've been talking about the u.s. open. i was there for the quarterfinals and women's final on saturday. it's exciting. a lot of stuff going on. first we had serena and the outburst and then roger federer said a few things, too. >> you weren't there for this. >> it was the day after serena's outburst because i was at the women's final and i was at the men's quarterfinal the day before the federer one. listen to what roger federer said last night. this is after his opponent made a late challenge.

take a look. >> considering a challenge. it's too late now. shouldn't be allowed that much time. >> it reveals it was out. >> do you have any rules in there? >> i was watching that last night and they quickly went to break federer lost the match. frustrated there days after serena williams had her meltdown which also wasn't too nice. listen to this.